“Sedalia is very unfriendly to pedestrians,” said Diane Yantz. “All the funding is going into improving existing sidewalks. What about areas with no sidewalks? And crossing at that new 50/65 intersection not nice.”
Yeah, I’ve noticed it too, and I’m sure some of you have. Sometimes it can be hard to traverse Sedalia on foot, especially when we consider the partial Katy Trail.
But let’s be fair — they got a grant for improving the sidewalks that lead to Sedalia’s schools. They didn’t get a grant for the other stuff, even if there is a need elsewhere in the city. And yes, it is very important that even the students who have to walk to school are able to do so safely.
But nice new sidewalks anywhere makes for jealousy everywhere else, and the people who frequently travel on foot start wishing for a complete city sidewalk overhaul. It is something that they should look into, eventually. But it can be tougher than people think — there is occasional private ownership to consider. Some people just don’t want sidewalks on their property, even if it would be beneficial for both them and pedestrians alike.
But the biggest roadblock is the financial considerations. There are other local projects underway right now but maybe soon a sidewalk overhaul can be one of them — maybe there are other sidewalk grants out there to be found, or people willing to provide some free labor or concrete.
I know there are people out there who would rather not see their tax dollars going to fix sidewalks. But there are also pedestrians who would rather see less focus on fixing the roads. No matter the level of government there are always going to be line items in the budget that you don’t like.
That’s just one of the small ways that the city can become more welcoming for new residents. A lot of the time when someone first comes to town they don’t have reliable transportation. A good sidewalk system is good for new residents, and it is good for residents who have limited resources and no access to a vehicle for one reason or another.
And just about all of them don’t want to walk in the street and risk vehicular injury. Most of them don’t want to to walk through your yard and kill our grass slowly. But they are left with little choice, if they are expected to reach their destination on foot.
Yes, we must realize that there are those who have to travel either on foot or by bus. And we also must realize that there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t look down on that person walking down the sidewalk with their groceries, or the person waiting on the bus. We’re all just trying to get where we need to go, both literally and metaphorically.
Best of all, various Sedalia businesses would see an increase in business because even people on the other side of town would be better able to make the long journey to some kind of mart. Maybe we should pass around the sidewalk collection plate.
